Nezumi's Song
by thatgirlwiththebooks
Summary: When in a dangerous situation, Nezumi used to think, 'Please, let me live.' Now, as he slides down the dark, dank tunnel into a world of unknown evil with Sion clinging to his torso, the only thing he can think is, 'Please, let him live.'


I will never shake my love of writing song-inspired fics. This is set to Sally's Song, from the classic a A Nightmare Before Christmas. I listened to Fiona Apple's version of it and felt that it fit Sion and Nezumi perfectly. So, I wrote a longer drabble.

* * *

><p><em>I sense there's something in the wind<br>That seems like tragedy's at hand  
>And though I'd like to stand by him<br>Can't shake this feeling that I have  
>The worst is just around the bend<em>

When in a dangerous situation, Nezumi used to think, _Please, let me live._ Now, as he slides down the dark, dank tunnel into a world of unknown evil with Sion clinging to his torso, the only thing he can think is, _Please, let him live._ Sion shakes against him, wrapped in Nezumi's cloak as the two of them fall down, down, down in the bottomless pit. His fingers tighten in the fabric, pulling Sion closer.

"Nezumi," Sion cries, his voice muffled under the cloak, "Please, can you hear me?" His voice sounds miles away under the fabric, and Nezumi struggles to keep his face stoic as Sion's arms encircle his waist. He thinks about how, just a day ago, they were in their living room. Not his living room. Their living room. And Sion spoke to him about how he wanted to stay over the summer.

_I want him with me. I want him to stay by my side, _Nezumi thinks as the cloth shifts and he sees a shock of Sion's white hair.

Sion shakes the fabric away and looks up at him, his bright red eyes shining in the darkness. His face betrays no fear. Instead, he locks eyes with Nezumi and grips tighter.

"_Nezumi._"

_And does he notice my feelings for him?  
>And will he see how much he means to me?<br>I think it's not to be_

"Are you really unafraid?" Nezumi whispers, brushing away Sion's white hair, which flies everywhere are the wind blows it upwards. Sion shakes his head, an unidentifiable expression toying with his fine features.

"No. But…I've been thinking, and even if I weren't afraid, it wouldn't change anything. I'm going to see this through,"

_You foolish boy. You foolish, stupid boy,_ Nezumi thinks, feeling a lump rise in his throat as Sion tucks his head underneath his chin. "Besides, I will always be okay when I'm with you, Nezumi. Nobody makes me feel safer," he whispers, as the pale strands of hair tickle Nezumi's sweaty skin.

_Can't you see anything? Are you blind?_ Nezumi thinks, swallowing the uncomfortable tears and burying his nose in Sion's scalp, _If you were as smart as No.6 said you were, you'd know…you'd know to do whatever you need to stay safe. Because I've never been good at protecting the people I care about,_ he thinks. The fire of his old forest swims in his vision, lighting up the dank tunnel that seems to swallow any trace of brightness. His mother, his father, everyone gone.

_If I couldn't protect them then, Sion, what makes you think I can protect you now?_

They land in a huddle. They crash to the ground and he hears that someone breaks a bone—thankfully, it's neither he nor Sion. The two of them stagger to their feet, Sion leaning into his chest for support. People hurry towards them. No.6 guards. Scientists. People who are eager to get their hands on them. He imagines an older man in a lab coat stripping Sion of his raggedy clothes, pinning him down on a lab table and tearing his insides apart with a scalpel.

_What will become of my dear friend  
>Where will his actions lead us then?<br>Although I'd like to join the crowd  
>In their enthusiastic cloud<br>Try as I may, it doesn't last_

"Run," Sion whispers, grasping onto Nezumi's hand and taking the lead as he begins to sprint away. Nezumi follows, easily catching up with his pace as the two outrun the world behind them.

_What will he do? What will happen to him?_ Nezumi thinks, watching as Sion divests himself of the bulky coat, casting it aside.

_I should make him get away. He doesn't belong here. Not Sion. He's too good, he's too nice for this, I can't let him see…I don't want him to see,_ he realizes, entwining his fingers with Sion's.

"We have to find Safu!" Sion shouts behind him, making a sharp turn into a deserted hallway, "We have to find her and free her from here, Nezumi! And then we need to get my mother and we will make No.6 fall! We will tear down the wall and build a new world," he shouts, almost giddy. His words ring triumphant, elated, and Nezumi knows that it's the adrenaline pumping through Sion's veins that makes him say those dumb words.

_…One of us isn't going to make it out alive. And it'd better not be him._

Sion deserves to rejoin his mother and Safu in their happy little lives. Sion is good and kind, he is full of light and happiness, even in a slum, and he deserves all the happy endings in the world. Nezumi is dark. He is wry, and sometimes cruel, callous and rude to everyone. _I could never…make a family,_ he acknowledges, looking over at Sion and remembering coming home to find dinner on the table and a sweet smile on the now determined, angry face. _I could try. But I would fail him. And he deserves better._ He imagines Sion being the one to return home to that Safu girl, the happy, simple, yet intelligent girl whom he can tell loves Sion.

"Nezumi," Sion says, abruptly turning around, skidding to a stop to face Nezumi with the oddest expression on his face. Nezumi worries; he is too used to reading Sion like one of his more familiar books. But, he cannot recognize the boy now.

"I just realized something…I remember…I have to do something. You have to go find Safu."

_No. No. Sion, please._

"If you think I'm going to let you run off in a dangerous place like this—" Nezumi starts, knowing how odd he must sound to Sion, with his broken voice and panicked face. For a minute, he thinks that the boy might cry. But instead, Sion takes Nezumi's face into his hands and kisses him. It's more forceful than the goodnight kiss, full of desperation, regret, sadness, and want. Nezumi wants to succumb to the kiss, take Sion and run away, abandon everything, find a quiet corner of the world to start over. But Sion pulls away, looking smaller and more naive than ever before as he stares at Nezumi with the fiercest of expressions.

"I will not die, Nezumi. I promise. Just, please, go save Safu," he says, taking off in the opposite direction, leaving Nezumi standing there with numbed lips.

He feels a weight drop into his stomach when he realizes he might not see Sion alive again. But, nevertheless, he takes off in search of the girl. He can't refuse Sion at this point. Not after realizing that he wouldn't be racing through a foreign lab if it wasn't for him.

_Sion…I am so sorry for everything,_ Nezumi thinks as his eyes begin to sting with tears.

_And will we ever end up together?  
>No, I think not, it's never to become<br>For I am not the one_


End file.
